Schengen Visa (from french consulate)

[triffid]

If I may ask what may seem an unnecessary question: Is every visa issued by the consulate of any Schengen-member country automatically a Schengen visa entitling the holder to movement within all member countries, or is there also a country-specific visa that obligates the holder to stay within the issuing country. My thai friend thinks the latter and that something more is required to have an 'upgraded' (French-Schengen) visa giving the right to go also to other Schengen countries. I think the former; but I cannot find a direct and simple statement in the French consulate FAQ or elsewhere that I can show her. I want to help her plan a holiday covering also places outside France - France being where she will arrive from TH and depart to TH.

Edited July 17, 2015 by triffid

[bobrussell]

A Schengen visa allows free movement between all Schengen nations. It is a visa to allow entry to and exit from the Schengen area.

All countries that have signed up should treat applicants in exactly the same way. Sadly it seems some countries are more applicant friendly than others!

[Donutz]

Obviously a standard Schengen visa gives access to the entire Schengen area, else there wouldn't be much "Schengen" about the Schengen visa... In specific (very rare) cases a visa with regional restrictions can be issued though.

Just as our FAQ says:

What is a Schengen Visa?
The free movement of persons is a fundamental right guaranteed by the EU to its citizens. It entitles every EU citizen to travel, work and live in any EU country without special formalities. Schengen cooperation enhances this freedom by enabling citizens to cross internal borders without being subjected to border checks. The border-free Schengen Area guarantees free movement to more than 400 million EU citizens, as well as to many non-EU nationals, businessmen, tourists or other persons legally present on the EU territory.

Where can I travel with a Schengen Visa?
You can travel throughout the entire Schengen area. This means that you can enter, move through and leave the Schengen area via all member states. However you must apply at the embassy of the country that is your main destination. If there is no clear main destination you should apply at the embassy of the Schengen country that you will enter first.

As said you may enter or exit through any Schengen member state if it's plausible that you are heading onwards to your main destination. It's perfectly okay to fly in and out of the Schengen area via a neighbouring country of this is more practical or cheaper. You should be well prepared though and are adviced to carry a copy of all the documents you used in your application so you may show them to the border guard if they wish to verify you meet the requirements. A Schengen visa doesn't give automatic right of entry!

Official explanation can be found here (link from the FAQ):

Generally, a short-stay visa issued by one of the Schengen States entitles its holder to travel throughout the 26 Schengen States for up to 90 days in any 180-day period

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/visa-policy/index_en.htm

When you get the visa in the first line it will say " Valid for: SCHENGEN STATES" in the language fo the embassy (SCHENGENER STAATEN, ETAS SCHENGEN etc.). indicating that the visa is valid for all Schengen states.

If you want official confirmation you could show the Schengen Visa Code, available in all EU languages (link available in the FAQ aswell):

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32009R0810

Article 1

Objective and scope

1. This Regulation establishes the procedures and conditions for issuing visas for transit through or intended stays in the territory of the Member States not exceeding three months in any six-month period.

Article 2

Definitions

For the purpose of this Regulation the following definitions shall apply:

1.

‘third-country national’ means any person who is not a citizen of the Union within the meaning of Article 17(1) of the Treaty;

2.

‘visa’ means an authorisation issued by a Member State with a view to:

(a)

transit through or an intended stay in the territory of the Member States of a duration of no more than three months in any six-month period from the date of first entry in the territory of the Member States;

(

transit through the international transit areas of airports of the Member States;

3.

‘uniform visa’ means a visa valid for the entire territory of the Member States;

4.

‘visa with limited territorial validity’ means a visa valid for the territory of one or more Member States but not all Member States;

Usually (in pretty much all cases a ' uniform visa' is issued, not an visa with limited territorial validity. As said, in the first line it will either indicated that it is valid for all Schengen states OR if it has specific restrictions. If that is the case this will be clearly indicated with country codes .

Edited July 17, 2015 by Donutz

[MJCM]

^ +1

If you have a Schengen Visa then you can visit all Schengen states without any problems. We regularly go back to Europe (Schengen) and while we are there we visit more then 1 country (last time in total 5 countries) without problems for my Thai Wife.

[triffid]

Thanks for the responses.

I did of course understand the scope of a schengen visa. I suppose my query was: does a Schengen country consulate - if it issues a visa at all - issue only Schengen visas, or can it issue a visa which does not give rights of travel in other Schengen states.

The following sentence in Donutz's response I think will resolve my problem best:

'When you get the visa in the first line it will say " Valid for: SCHENGEN STATES" in the language fo the embassy (SCHENGENER STAATEN, ETAS SCHENGEN etc.). indicating that the visa is valid for all Schengen states.'

[OJAS]

Sadly it seems some countries are more applicant friendly than others!

Pertaining to the OP, how does France rank in the "applicant friendliness" stakes? The reason I ask is that my Thai wife will be applying for a Schengen visa early next year in order to enable her to accompany me (as a Brit) on a trip in Spring 2016 to visit my sister who lives and works in Paris. The application process looks pretty straightforward in theory according to the TLS website at https://www.tlscontact.com/th2fr/help.php#where_apply, but are there any hidden practical snags of which we need to be aware?